UNITED KINGDOM
The Sunday Leader
By Uvindu Kurukulasuriya – reporting from London
Chief Sanghanayaka Thera of Great Britain and Chief Incumbent of the Thames Buddhist Vihara and Parivenadhipathi of the Vidyaravinda Pirivena, Pahalagama, Gampaha and Chief Lekhadhikari of the Sri Kalyani Samagi Dharma Maha Sangha Sabha has been convicted of four counts of indecent assault on an underage person and sentenced to seven years in prison, a judge ruled Friday June 1, 2012. He has also been banned from working with children for life and his name is added to the sex offenders register.
Monk Pahalagama Somaratana, 65, of Dulverton Road, Croydon was initially convicted at Isleworth Crown Court on May 1, 2012 of four counts of indecent assault on a female under 16 years between January 1, 1977 and December 31,1978 at an address in Chiswick.
He was found not guilty of the rape of a female under 16 years between January 1,1977 and December 31,1978 at an address in Chiswick and not guilty of indecent assault on a female under 14 years between January 1,1985 and December 31, 1986 at an address in Croydon.
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